


Tale as Old as Time

by Nandireya



Category: Voltron Legendary Defender
Genre: Beauty and the Beast (of sorts), F/M, Galra Keith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-06
Updated: 2018-07-06
Packaged: 2019-06-06 01:55:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15184202
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nandireya/pseuds/Nandireya
Summary: (Set after Season Two)Captured by the Glara, Haggar finds something interesting in the new Black Paladin’s DNA...





	1. Prologue

**Once upon a time, a young prince lived in a shining castle...**

Well, to be fair, he wasn't a prince and he didn't live in a castle, it was more a shack in the desert...

**...and though he had everything his heart desired...**

_EVERYTHING_ might be a bit of a stretch, but he did have a knife, and a bad attitude...and a killer hover-bike! That thing was awesome!

**...the prince was spoiled, selfish and unkind...**

Yeah, that bit's actually pretty accurate.

**But then, one winter's night, an old beggar-woman came to the castle and offered him a single rose in return for shelter from the bitter cold.**

Yeah, he was actually kinda captured being all noble and stuff. And there was no gift. Unless you consider agonising torture a gift.

**Repulsed by her haggard appearance...**

I'm sure _THAT_ at least was true...

**...the prince sneered at the gift, and turned the old woman away, but she warned him not to be deceived by appearances, for beauty is found within. And when he dismissed her again, the old women's ugliness melted away to reveal a beautiful enchantress.**

We're kinda getting off track here. This bit, yeah, not really what went down. No talk of inner beauty or transformations. That witch stayed her actual haggard self. I mean, quiznak, that's even her name! Sort of...

**The prince tried to apologise...**

I'm pretty sure he spat in her face...

_I did not! I head-butted her in the face and broke her nose._

Seriously? You really do have an impulse control problem, don't you?

**...but it was too late, for she had seen that there was no love in his heart and as punishment she transformed him into a hideous beast and placed a powerful spell on the castle and all who lived there.**

Yeah, jerk-face or not, he totally didn't deserve what they did to him...

**Ashamed of his monstrous form...**

Oh, yeah, for sure...

**...the beast concealed himself inside his castle...**

Literally, he went into the ventilation system at times...

 _Lance! If you don't stop interrupting I'll shove_ YOU _in the ventilation system!_

**...with a magic mirror as his only window to the outside world.**

Really?

_Try me._

  
**The rose she had offered, was truly an enchanted rose, which would bloom until his twenty-first year. If he could learn to love another, and earn their love in return by the time the last petal fell, then, the spell would be broken! If not, he would be doomed to remain a beast for all time!**

**As the years passed, he fell into despair, and lost all hope, for who could ever learn to love a beast?**

Now let our story begin...

 

~~~~~~

 

They may have captured him but they would never get into Black. He'd seen to that. He had ordered the lion to put up her force-field, not to let it down under any circumstances. He had left Shiro's bayard and his Mamora blade on board, there was no way he was letting them get their hands on either of them. But that didn't mean he couldn't come out fighting.

He sprinted down the ramp, it quickly slamming shut behind him, the energy-shield crackling and humming to life as soon as he was clear. He took a flying kick at the closest soldier and took up its weapon, opening fire as the rest charged at him. He knew he wouldn't last long, there were just too many of them. But he was going to take as many of them with him that he possibly could. And as they began to overwhelm he took comfort in the knowledge that his teammates, his friends, his family, were safe.

 

~~~~~~

 

He awoke, he had no idea how much later, a cold metallic surface behind him, shimmering bands of energy around his wrists and ankles securing him to it. He wasn't alone. Two of those creepy masked druids flanked the door. His armour had been removed, gloves and boots included, leaving him in only the black body suit.

A third figure who had been hidden from his sight behind the upright table he was bound to came into view. It was strangely pretty for a Galra, if it wasn't for the colouring Keith would have doubted the being even was a Galra. He, something told the bound paladin that he was indeed a male, despite the fine features and long, silver hair, was holding his helmet in a way reminiscent of Hamlet and the skull of Yorick. Keith had no idea who he was. He didn't care. He wasn't giving this overdressed jerk anything.

The door swished open and a hunched, hooded figure entered. This one he knew. Haggar.

"Behold!" The pretty Galra said, theatrically holding the helmet aloft. "The Black Paladin of Voltron!"

Haggar's expression didn't change.

"This is not the Black Paladin." She said evenly.

"Is that hood effecting your vision?" He scoffed. "Do you not see the helmet?" He held it up again. "Is it not the Black Lion that we currently have under serious look and key in the bowels of the very ship? Both black. Ergo. The Black Paladin." He gestured at Keith.

"I don't care what he's wearing or what he was piloting." Haggar snarled. "I know the Black Paladin. I am on quite close, intimate terms with the Black Paladin." She stalked towards Keith as she spoke. "He was my masterpiece." She curled her lip as she looked upon the pale-skinned, dark-haired boy. "This is _NOT_ the Black Paladin." She said haughtily, turning her back on him.

"Unless..." She turned back, eyes narrowing. "You lost him." She surmised. "Probably the same time we lost our Emperor. And you stepped up." She leaned in close. "So which one were you?" She mused. "Red, green, yellow or blue?"

His only response to her question was to throw his head, the only part of his body he could actually move, forward, his forehead connecting solidly with her nose. He smirked as she staggered backwards, her hands going instinctively to her face. The pretty Galra chuckled.

"Oh, he's a feisty one." Keith could hear the grin in his voice, as Haggar pinched her nose, studied the blood on her fingers for a moment, before flicking it off.

"The Red, then." She said, stabbing him quickly in the side, sharp nails tearing through cloth and into flesh. He winced as she pulled back her hand, far more of his blood dripping from her nails than he'd brought forth from her nose. "The Emperor has quite an interest in you."

Keith frowned slightly at her use of present tense. Zarkon was alive? Incapacitated most likely, but alive. He closed his eyes, trying to keep his expression neutral. They'd lost Shiro for nothing.

She crossed the small room, stepping up to a console in the corned. She let his blood drip onto what looked like a small sensor pad. It was quickly absorbed, and quickly analysed going by the cruel grin that spread across the witch's features.

"Interesting..." She purred, cold eyes focusing on the young paladin. " _VERY_ interesting..."

The pretty Galra walked over, twirling the helmet in one clawed hand, curiosity obviously getting the better of him. "Really?" His eyebrows rose as he glanced at their prisoner. "He doesn't look-"

But Haggar cut him off with a wicked smile.

"Just imagine what I can make out if you."

 


	2. Birth of a Beast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith endures some major genetic manipulation...

He began to wonder if being a prisoner was always this boring. They hadn't bothered to tend to the wound in his side. It was still dripping, albeit slowly, but enough to make him feel a little lightheaded. He could feel the tackiness of the congealed blood where it had trickled down from the tear.

The pretty Galra had been in a few times, trying to get him to talk. Of course he had no intention of telling them anything. He didn't plan to react to them in any way at all. But mostly he was just left alone. The druids still stood there, on either side of the door, watching him silently, but they didn't actually interact with him. So he was left to his own thoughts. And the longer he thought, the more morose they became.

He knew Shiro had been experimented on by Haggar and her hooded cronies. He'd never specifically asked him about it, it didn't feel right to pry. And he'd witnessed more than once the lasting trauma it had left on him. He dreaded to think what the witch had planned for him. He doubted it had anything to do with robotic limb replacements. Not when they'd found the secret in his blood. Part of him wished they'd just get on with it.

As if the universe had somehow heard his thoughts, the door hissed open and the pretty Galra strode in, looking self-important as always. His eyes locked onto Keith, he could see his gaze with his peripheral vision but he refused to meet it.

"Get out." He said to the druid guards, his eyes never shifting their focus. " _NOW_!" He snapped when they didn't move. They exchanged a glance, then turned and did as bidden. Keith was a little concerned at how they had actually obeyed him. Maybe the self-important act wasn't just attitude.

"I thought they'd never leave." He smirked. Keith continued to ignore him.

"Still not talking to me, hmmm?" He moved closer. "That's alright. I don't want to hear you speak." He leaned in close, sharp teeth dangerously close to his ear. "I want to hear you scream."

He held up what looked like a large syringe, filled with a shimmering, silvery...something.

"I found this in one of the labs." He explained. "Highly experimental. Yet to be tested. So I really don't know what it's going to do to you." He slammed Keith's head painfully to one side, exposing his neck.

"Let's find out." He grinned, stabbing the needle deep into his flesh.

Keith let out an involuntary hiss as his face tightened with pain. He berated himself for showing any kind if reaction, but he couldn't help himself. That had _HURT_!

He didn't know what he'd been injected with, apparently neither did the pretty Galra, he got the impression the guy was as full of crap as he was full of himself. He could actually feel it beginning to spread, like millions of microscopic insects crawling under his skin. It was an odd sensation, not actually painful, just weird.

Until the bugs started to bite. Isolated little pinpricks to begin with, nothing he couldn't handle. But like the crawling sensation, it quickly began to spread, and intensify. He began to flinch, twisting left and right as much as his bounds would allow, in an ill-conceived attempt to get away from the pain. But how could you get away from something that was burning inside you?

He bit down on his lip, screwing up his face. He clenched his fists so tightly the nails dug into his palms so deeply they drew blood, not that he noticed. What was one more sting in a catalogue of agony? He tightened every muscle he possibly could until his entire body began to shake with the effort. He focused on his breathing. Recited song lyrics in his head. Anything and everything to keep himself from screaming. He'd be damned if he'd give that smug bastard the satisfaction.

"You're a stubborn little thing, aren't you?" His voice came from behind him as he circled to the other side. "Perhaps another dose is in order?"

Keith's eyes widened as his senses were overwhelmed. Every nerve was on fire. Every muscle was knotted. Even his bones hurt, down to the marrow. He couldn't help it. Couldn't hold it in any longer. He threw back his head and screamed. Though, truth be told, the sound that tore out of his throat, reverberated off the walls of the tiny cell, that echoed painfully in his ears was more a howl than a scream. It didn't even sound human. If he'd been more self-aware it probably would have worried him.

It only stopped when he lacked the breath to continue.

 

~~~~~~

 

He must have passed out because the next thing he was aware of was the taste of blood on his lips. The pain was gone, or he'd become numb to it. He couldn't move, his muscles wouldn't respond. Even if they did, he still didn't think he could, his bones felt like they were made of lead.

"What in the seven levels have you done!?"

He frowned as best he could. When had Haggar come in?

"So you're the only one allowed to make a masterpiece?" The creep snorted.

"You call this a masterpiece?" Haggar snarled. She turned his head towards her with a surprisingly gentle hand. He couldn't resist her touch as she pried open one heavy eye, pushed up his lip.

"He _IS_ a work in progress." The pretty Galra said. "But I think he's coming along nicely. Though I must admit, the tail is a surprise."

He was aware that they were still there, still arguing, but it was too hard to focus on what they were saying. Too hard to focus on anything. Like staying awake...or breathing...

' _Help him...'_

If he'd been able to he'd have frowned at the voice buzzing in his skull.

' _I was told to stay here.'_ A second, though similar, voice answered.

If he'd been more lucid he would have questioned his sanity. Hearing voices was never a good thing.

' _Help him...'_ The first repeated. ' _Help him or I will!'_

_'That would be unwise.'_

_'He is slipping.'_ The first again. _'He may no longer truly be mine, but I would sacrifice myself before I let him go where I cannot follow.'_

 _'Your loyalty is admirable.'_ The second admitted. ' _But if this is the universe's design-'_

 _'And your loyalty is non-existent!'_ The first snapped back. ' _You have already lost two and now you sit idly by while a third slips into oblivion!'_

' _You overstep your bounds!'_ The second snarled. ' _But...you are right.'_

A ear-shattering roar reverberated through the ship, followed by a series of explosions. The cell's bright light flicked to dull, emergency red as alarms began to echo through the hallways. Haggar and the pretty Galra exchanged a nervous glance. Keith managed a weak smile.

Black was coming for him, goaded into it by Red, he surmised. He didn't know how the lion was going to manage it, whether it would end in freedom or death. Either way, his ordeal would be over

 

~~~~~~

 

Lance stifled a yawn as he surveyed the long distance scanners. Ever since Keith had sacrificed himself for their freedom the three remaining paladins had been taking it in turns at the monitors for any sign of their missing comrade.

The blue paladin kept replaying things over and over in his mind, trying to come up with some scenario that would not have resulted in their errant, newbie leader's capture, but he couldn't think of a damn thing. Keith was part Galra, he could interact with their technology in a way none of them could. He'd spent more time running about on Galra ships on his numerous boarder-line suicidal missions than any of them, he knew their layouts better. He was the best close-quarter fighter. If any of them could escape a Galra stronghold, it was Keith.

He just wished it wasn't taking him so damn long. Of course, it had only been little more than a day...

He yawned again, settling back in his seat. He didn't realise he'd nodded off until Pidge whacked him up the backside of the head.

"You're supposed to be watching the scanners!" She snapped.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." He grumbled, rubbing the back of his head. "But it's not like I missed anything."

A flashing dot appeared at the very edge of the scanner's range. A circular pulse of black. The pair exchanged a quick glance before Pidge shoved him aside to zoom in on the specific section of space. The feline shape of the craft was unmistakable.

"I knew those purple bastards couldn't hold him!" Lance whooped flinging his arms around the tiny tech-head.

"Get off!" She shouldered him aside.

Lance punched up the comms. "Yo, there, buddy!" He smirked. "You sure took your damn time."

There was no answer.

"He is in communication range, right?" He asked Pidge.

"Should be." She frowned. "Though he could have sustained damage in the escape. Or...he's just ignoring you."

Lance considered her with an unamused expression.

"If you're being an ass, Mullet, I'm so gonna kick your butt when you get back here!"

Pidge let out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes as she turned her attention back to the scanner. "Whoa. Black's really moving!" She noted.

"Are they being chased?" Lance frowned, leaning in for a closer look over her shoulder.

"Doesn't look like it." She shook her head. "And if they were Keith would never lead them back to us." So why would the lion be moving so fast? Unless there was another reason he wasn't responding to them.

"Is he okay?" Lance asked, coming to the same conclusion. She met his worried eyes with a concerned expression of her own.

 

~~~~~~

 

The three paladins and the princess waited in the black lion's hanger as the lion in question made its final approach. Coran was busy preparing the infirmary. In the little more than an hour it had taken for Black to arrive at the Castle after initially popping up on the scans they still hadn't been able to raise its pilot. With each passing moment they began to fear that something was seriously wrong.

They took a step back as Black approached to settle gracefully before them. The lion lowered its massive head completely to the floor before opening its jaws. The group stopped dead in their tracks as a pile of debris spilled from its mouth.

"What the hell?" Lance frowned, dodging what looked like part of a control panel that skittered across the floor towards him. There were more sections of the same, or possibly different panels, some bits of wall, some floor, part of a door.

The fact that it appeared Black had literally taken a bite out of an entire room only rattled their nerves more. The quartet ran up the ramp as quickly as the could, scrambling over even more debris, screaming Keith's name. Though none had expected a response, it only upped their fear when they didn't get one.

"Come on, man." Hunk whispered, his voice strained as he began to dig through the rubbish, tossing it back down the ramp. "Where are you?"

"Careful, Hunk." Pidge warned. "You don't want to accidentally cause more damage."

"Sorry, sorry." He lamented. "I'm just-"

"We all are." She placed a comforting hand on his arm.

"Over here."

Lance's voice was soft, tiny even. His expression one they'd never seen on the jovial paladin's face before. He crouched down, gently beginning to move twisted pieces of metal.

"How...is..." Allura's voice caught in her throat when Lance raised his eyes to meet hers.

"Not good." He shook his head.

The others quickly made their way over to where Lance was hunkered down. He had not been lying. If anything what he'd said was an understatement. He lay on the floor, his body limp and unmoving and covered in blood, whether from his time in the hands of the Galra or from Black's unorthodox rescue attempt it was impossible to tell. Beneath the blood he was covered in a fine powdery coating of soft purple. The sharp tips of pointed teeth could be seen inside his partially opened mouth. Incongruously he was painfully thin, his eyes were sunken, there were deep hollows under his cheek bones.

"Are you sure that's him?" Pidge question, a worried frown marking her features. She didn't want to accept that this emaciated wreak of what by all accounts was a Galra was their friend.

"Do you honestly think Black would just let some random Galra in here?" He snapped angrily before his face soften. "Besides...I'd know that mullet anywhere."

Pidge screwed up her face then, no longer able to deny it, in an effort to hide her tears at the sight of him. Allura covered her mouth to stifle her gasp.

"What the hell did they do to him?" Hunk frowned. "He looks like they've been starving him for months. But he's been gone barely a day."

"Looks like whatever it is is still happening." Pidge noted. Even as she spoke the teeth were becoming more prominent. Longer, sharper, deadlier.

"We gotta get him in a healing pod." Lance said, working his hands underneath his shoulder and the hallow of his knees in order to pick him up. But he couldn't. "Holy crap. He weighs a ton!"

Hunk bent down to scoop him up from the other side. He was a good deal stronger than Lance but even he could barely budge him. They both looked up as Allura moved forward. Hunk moved aside as the princess bent down to lift him from the floor. Even she had difficulty. As she settled him in her arms his head fell back, his mouth opened more as he let out a strangled gasp. His eyes opened slightly, glassy, unfocused and gold, before his head lolled towards her and his fleeting moment of consciousness fled.

"Coran? Is the infirmary ready?" She spoke to the air.

"Yes, Princess." Came his disembodied voice.

"We're on our way."

Lance boogled as the princess turned.

"Is that a tail?"

 

~~~~~~

 

Allura lay a hand on the transparent surface of the healing pod. Even under its sedative effects his face was pinched with pain. In the centre of the circular room Coran was bringing up the scan the Castle had taken of Keith on the day of his arrival to compare it to the readings currently coming from the medical device.

"By the Ancients." He whispered. When seen side-by-side the two were very, very different. The original showed a tag on an anomaly in his DNA where it had compared it to the scans of the other paladins taken at the same time. Apparently the Castle had known about his unique parentage but had not felt the need to alert anyone about it.

"There's a forty three point seven percent increase in his bone density." Coran read.

"Meaning?" Lance prompted.

"His bones are getting stronger."

"Would that explain why he's gotten so heavy?" Hunk asked.

"Possibly." Coran nodded. "Though he was always on the weighty side for a being of his stature."

"What's all this?" Pidge jabbed a finger at a mass of swimming light particles swarming around his organs. "It doesn't look like the circulatory system...or any human system...or anything remotely biological."

"Oh, no!"

Pidge and Coran found themselves pushed back as Slav snaked his way up between them and the medical console.

"No, no, no, no, no no!" His round eyes widened as he studied the display. "My nanites!"

"You're responsible for this!?" Lance shouldered his way through, a murderous look on his face.

"Nooooooo?" The multi-limbed alien backed away as best as he was able. "At least not directly."

Lance picked him up by the front of his shirt.

"Make yourself clear, if you can." He snarled.

"The nanites!" He gestured to the screen with several of his stubby limbs. "They are my design. Meant to alter a subject's genetics on a molecular level. But they were only theoretical. I had built nothing. It had not even left my head until forcibly extracted. The Galra...they must have..."

"Put your theory into practice." Pidge sighed.

Slav nodded frantically. The blue paladin had still not released him. "Though there is a ninety seven point six percent chance that who ever implemented this had absolutely no idea what they were doing. They needed to provide a source of genetic material for the nanites to work with. That is why his systems are all in decline, the nanites are leeching what they need from the only source they have."

"They're eating him alive?" Hunk looked horrified.

"If you created these things then you can stop it." Lance growled. "Change him back!"

"It cannot be done." Slav shook his head. "Once initiated the process is irreversible. I cannot even stop it." He looked over to Keith, all but lifeless in the healing pod. He looked to the readout. The pod was having little to no effect. It had barely slowed the tiny techno-terrors coursing through his system.

He sighed.

"But I can complete it."

Allura had been listening to everything that was being said while silently watching Keith's progress. The pod was not healing him, it _COULDN'T_ heal him. He was dying, and there was only one way to save his life. Though it pained her, though she knew what it meant for him, that it was not what he wanted. It would be better to plead his forgiveness than to mourn his loss.

"Do it." She said flatly.

All eyes snapped to her.

"What!?" Lance dropped Slav and stalked towards her. "You know what that'll do! It'll make him one of them! That's not what he wants!"

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to be dead either, Lance!" She turned on him.

"Are those really our only options?" Hunk asked.

"At this point, yes." Coran confirmed.

Lance turned on Pidge. "Can't you hack those quiznaking things and reprogram them or something?" He demanded.

"Not in the time he has left." She shook her head sadly.

"We have no other choice." Allura lowered her head until her forehead came into contact with the transparent forcefield sealing the healing pod. Closing her eyes she repeated her order, her voice broken.

"Do it."

Slav's hands danced across the console in a blur. Light shimmered around Keith's nose and mouth as a breathing mask appeared. Various fluids began to fill the pod, obscuring him from their sight. They turned their attention to the readout instead. The shimmering around his organs quickly shifted, heading outwards to the newly introduced...whatever it was.

"It is raw material." Slav explained. "Far easier for them to work with. They do not have to break it down to repurpose it. They will use it to repair the damaged they have done as well as complete the task they were assigned...assuming they were built correctly."

The organs that had been on the brink of shutting down began to stabilise. His heartbeat, which had been so close to flatlining, began to climb until it was beating strong and steady. His blood pressure returned to normal.

Hunk, who had been at the back of the group, allowing the smaller members better access to the screen, caught a flicker of movement with his peripheral vision. He turned his head, frowning. The pod was still cloudy but it was beginning to clear as the nanites used up the material Slav had introduced.

"Ah...guys...?" He began, keeping his eyes on the pod. "These things are suppose to keep you sedated until they cycle's finished, right?"

"That is correct, Hunk." Coran confirmed. "Why do you ask?"

"Because he's looking at us." He said nervously.

With the exception of Slav, who continued to monitor the readout and make adjustment as necessary, they all turned to the pod encasing their friend. It was difficult to really see through the clouds of genetic material, but they could make out a pair of baleful yellow eyes glaring through the muck.

"He looks pissed." Lance breathed. As if to reinforce that assessment a large, clawed fist slammed against the forcefield.

"Oh, yeah." Lance swallowed as they all began to inch away. "He's definitely pissed."

Both palms slapped against the forcefield, claws digging in causing it to redden and spark as he attempted to tear through it.

"Keithy wants out!" Hunk murmured nervously.

"Will that thing hold?" Pidge asked, stepping behind Hunk, hugging his arm. There was a kick this time, so powerful it shook the entire pod.

"Keithy _REALLY_ wants out!" Hunk shifted his arm to wrap it around Pidge.

"Fear not, Number Five." Coran reassured her. "It's the same kind of forcefield that keeps the vacuum of space at bay."

The kicking and punching stilled. Had he heard what Coran had said? Was he listening? Or had he just realised he couldn't get through that way?

"Keith..?" Allura took a step forward. "You need-"

She was cut off by a hideous shrieking noise that made fingernails dragged against a blackboard positively melodic, causing them all to instinctively cover their ears.

"What the hell was that?" Lance winched.

"He's trying to get out through the back of the pod." Pidge flinched as the ear-piercing sound was repeated.

"Slav?" Allura looked over to where he was monitoring the pod. "Can we release him?"

"Not yet." He shook his head. "The nanites have not completed their programming. If we were to stop the cycle now they would go back to repurposing his own genetic material to finish. And his attempts to escape are hindering the process, they have to repair the damage he is causing himself."

"He's...hurting himself?" Allura frowned, concerned.

"Nothing that threatens his life." Slav said. "Some light bone fracturing, and he's torn out ninety three point five percent of his claws." There was another screech. "Ninety eight point seven."

"We need to calm him down." Lance noted. "Can we pump in some kind of sedative or something?" He flinched as claw met metal again.

"One hundred and seven point nine percent." Slav called.

"We don't need a rundown on the damage he's doing to himself, Slav." Allura sighed.

"How can it be over one hundred percent?" Lance frowned.

"He's ripping out the repaired ones." Pidge clarified.

"Euew." Lance pulled a face.

"A sedative would be counterproductive at this time." Coran said, leaning over Slav to read the medical readout. "The nanites appear to be...shutting down...?"

"They are being absorbed." Slav corrected.

"Euew." Lance repeated.

"You may wish to move away from the pod." Slav warned. "I can not guarantee how he will react when the forcefield comes down. Which it will be doing in five...four...three...two...one..."

They had moved to either side of the pod, out of the line of fire as it were. Everybody held their breath as the blue barrier shimmered and began to dissolve. He didn't stumble out as expected.

"He is still in there, right?" Lance questioned.

As he spoke a set of long, wickedly clawed fingers curled around the lower half of the pod, the other set quickly following on the other side. For a split second they were aware of a dark blur as he lunched himself across the room, hurling himself into the shadows beyond the ring of healing pods. There was a scuttling sound as he tried to find purchase on the polished floor with his newly acquired claws followed by a soft thud as he collided with the wall.

"Keith?" Allura called, moving cautiously towards where she could hear his short ragged breathing. It was hard to determine whether he'd hurt himself when he'd hit the wall or, more likely, he was bordering on a panic attack.

"Buddy?" Lance added, moving to stand with the Princess.

It was hard to see him, hunched as he was in the shadows, but they could see that he was staring at his hands with wide, slightly luminous eyes, what they imagined were his ears twitched slightly as they approached. Golden eyes turned on them and he backed away deeper into the darkness.

"Keith?" Allura repeated, taking a tentative step closer. The eyes appeared to soften, his head tilted slightly, quizzically.

"It's gonna be okay..." Lance began, but got a very cat-like hiss for his efforts as Keith bared very dangerous looking fangs at him. Something moved sinuously behind him, thumping against the wall. He began to slink along the outer curve of the room, curiously on all fours, bright yellow eyes locked on them. Or at least they assumed they were. It was always impossible to determine just where a Galra was looking. And that was truly what he was now. Not a hybrid. This was not some kind of partial transformation like they'd expected should his alien DNA somehow try to assert itself. Slav's nanotechnology must have rewritten his genome entirely, completely eradicating everything human about him.

Nobody dared move, they didn't want to risk spooking him, setting him off in some way. He obviously wasn't in his right mind. He wasn't moving like a human, he wasn't moving like a Galra. He wasn't moving like a truly sentient being at all. He moved like an animal, like some kind of monstrous beast.

Too late they realised just where he was slinking to.

"Shit!" Pidge spat. "The door!"

But he was already gone.

 


	3. Mob Mentality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The paladins try to reach their newly altered teammate...but they have to catch him first.

Grabbing their helmets, Lance and Hunk charged after him, calling forth their weapons as they did so.

"Guys...I don't..." Pidge began, taking a step after them, stopping with a sigh. She grabbed her own helmet and shoved it angrily on to her head, muttering "Macho idiots."

"What was that?" Lance's voice echoed in the enclosed space. "I didn't quite copy."

"I was going to say I don't think hunting him down is the right course of action." She sighed. "But if you're determined to go through with this testosterone fuelled idiocy, I suggest you watch out for the tail."

"What's up with the tail?" Hunk questioned. "Beside the obvious tripping hazard."

"I can't say for sure about Galra tails..." Pidge admitted. "But the only big cat back home with a tufted tail is the lion, and the lion has a bone spur hidden in that tuft."

"You're joking?" Lance scoffed. "Right?"

"Nope." Pidge shook her head though neither of them could see it. "And if he's got a spur in that tail you can be damn sure he'll figure out a way to weaponise it."

"Pidge is right, though." Allura said as she stepped up to the young paladin, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I don't think hunting him down is the right thing to do. After his anxiousness to escape the healing pod he's not just going to let you lock him up again."

"Besides." Pidge added. "He didn't try to hurt any of us. He just..." She frowned. "He just...ran from us..."

"He _DID_ growl at me." Lance reminded her.

"He _ALWAYS_ growls at you." Pidge countered with a snort.  
  
"He's obviously confused and scared..." Allura returned to the previous train of thought. "He needs some space..."

"We can't just let him go running around the ship all crazed." Lance shot back. "Who knows what he's gonna-"

There was an horrific tearing sound, followed by a "Look out!" from Hunk. Something hit the ground loudly, bouncing a few times before skidding to an echoing thud.

"Guys?" Pidge called. "Guys? You okay?"

"Yeah." Lance sighed. "He just threw half a wall at us."

"You're exaggerating." Hunk snorted. "It was just a ventilation grate." He explained to set their minds at ease about the amount of danger they were actually in.

"Did you get him?" Allura asked.

"Nah." Lance sniffed. "He's gone into the ventilation system."

"He has?" Coran looked up from where he was studying the medical readouts gathered from the healing pod. "Must be quite a tight fit. He appears to be a good deal larger now."

"Is anybody hurt?" Allura enquired.

"I'm fine." Lance admitted.

"Me too." Hank confirmed.

"And Keith?" She promoted.

"If he comes out I'll tell you." Lance grumbled.

"Meet us in the lounge." Allura ordered. "We need to discuss our options."

 

~~~~~~

 

"What is it with piloting the black lion?" Lance ranted as he paced the room. "It's like the damn thing is cursed or something!"

"It's like being the Defence Against the Dark Arts professor." Pidge nodded in quiet agreement, haunched over her laptop, working on some kind of algorithm to determine Keith's movements within the Castle.

"The first one goes psycho-crazy and thinks 'you know what...I think I'll take over the universe...that sounds like a lark'!" He spread his arms dramatically. "The second disappears completely. And the third gets a furry, feral makeover and loses his godamn mind!"

"It really is like the Defence Against the Dark Arts position." Hunk sighed.

Allura frowned having no idea what they were talking about. But she had picked up on one thing that Lance had said. It would certainly seem that Keith had lost his upper cognitive functions, though he was acting with a certain level of intelligence. He hadn't hurt anyone and he had proven extremely difficult to track, managing to avoid all security cameras and sensors, hence Pidge's current delving into the Castle's security system. He'd even disabled a few, and not by slashing at them in anger. He'd actually switched them off.

"Do your nanites effect the mind at all?" She asked Slav.

"I did not design them to." He shook his head. "They were designed to make the subject stronger or to adapt to an inhospitable environment." He shrugged. "Of course the Galra may have made some modifications. Tried to make him more compliant. If so, they have failed miserably!"

"And our scans didn't show any of them within the cranial cavity." Coran added. "His brain was not damaged or altered in any way."

"Then why's he gone all nutso?" Lance asked.

"Mind numbing pain and torture will do that to you." Hunk said softly. True, they didn't actually know whether or not he's been tortured while in the hands of the Galra, but past experience would certainly indicate that they wouldn't have been kind to him. And the nano-tech transformation had not looked at all pleasant.

"And we don't know if he actually is nutso." Pidge pointed out. "Though he does seem pretty feral." She admitted. The way he'd moved, the hissing, the threatening snarl. Of course that might just be a Galra thing. "Maybe we should contact Kolivan?" She suggested. "He'd probably be able to give us some insight."

"Yes." Allura nodded, though she wasn't really paying attention. Her thoughts were on the human turned Galra currently hiding in the ventilation system. She had reacted so badly, treated him so poorly, when they first discovered his ancestry. Had that been why he'd run? Now that he truly was Galra, inside and out, was he afraid to face them? To face her?

"I assure you, Number Five." Coran began. "There is nothing about Galra physiology that I'm not already aware of. They're stronger, faster, their senses are more acute, they're certainly more prone to aggressive outbursts, but otherwise, they're not so dissimilar to humans or Alteans, biologically speaking."

"I was talking about thought processes more than physical ones, Coran." Pidge clarified.

"Wasn't easy to figure out what was going on inside his head before this happened." Lance mumbled.

"I'll make the hail." Coran nodded. "Might take a while to get through to him, though. There's no telling what the Mamorites are up to."

 

~~~~~~

 

Pidge took a sip of Hunk's attempt at coffee. She wasn't sure what it was, though it certainly didn't taste like coffee, but it had the necessary boost required to keep her eyes open and on the screens she'd rigged up. She had the feed from every single security camera displayed before her. Her eyes scanned from left to right and back again, searching for any hint of movement, any kind of anomaly that might indicate the location of their errant teammate.

Then the feed from the kitchen went dark.

"Gotcha!" She grinned.

Lance stifled a yawn as he entered the lounge where Pidge had set up her little surveillance station, dragging his lion-slippered feet, completely unaware that she'd just left it. It was way into the sleep cycle and he was pretty sure the youngest paladin hadn't slept since Black had returned. He wanted Keith out of the walls and getting the assistance he obviously so desperately needed, but it shouldn't be at the detriment of her own health.

"Damnit, Pidge." He yawned again. "You need to get some..." He trailed off as he realised he was talking to an empty room. He scanned the screens, finding her in the hallway just outside the kitchen. "...thing to eat...?"

The way she was slinking along the wall, all stealthy and nervous, she wasn't after a midnight snack. She was after bigger prey. Probably purply and possibly dangerous. She was going to try and take him on by herself?

"She's crazier than he is." He muttered, suddenly very wide awake.

 

~~~~~~

 

Pidge took a deep breath as she edged up to the kitchen door, not sure exactly what she was going to find inside. She probably should have woken somebody, anybody to offer some back up, but that would have taken time, time that would have allowed him to disappear back into the ventilation ducts.

The room was dark, the only illumination coming from the open cooling unit. She could hear the familiar sound of soft clinks and clatterings of someone making a nighttime raid on the fridge. She dared a quick peek around the door. She caught a glimpse of a large, shadowy form, hunkered down in the middle of the u-shaped bench on the right side of the room. She couldn't get a really good look at him in the darkness but she wasn't about to turn on the light. Approaching him required a calm, cool head. Maybe it was a good thing she hadn't woken the others. Hunk would have started gibbering in panic, and Lance...Lance would probably try to tackle him or something. Powerful jaws took a tearing bite from whatever he held in his clawed hands. She quickly darted back behind the cover of the wall.

' _Is he eating over the sink?'_ She frowned.

He might be eating in a rather uncivilised manner but at least he was aware enough to not make a mess. Or...she looked at her hand...maybe he was eating that way because...his hands were bigger now, right? His entire body was different. He hadn't adapted to the change yet. He had lost his usual dexterity. His whole centre of gravity had to be out of whack. He was probably too clumsy to stand and walk in any kind of graceful way let alone manage plates and cutlery.

She took another peek, covering her mouth when she saw him stiffen. He raised his head, his jaw working slowly as he cautiously chewed what he was eating. He sniffed the air, looking about, then shoved the rest of his make-shift meal in to his mouth.

' _Shit.'_

He knew he wasn't alone. He was going to bolt.

"Keith." She stepped into the doorway, holding her arms out from her sides to show she wasn't armed, wasn't going to the attack.

Her face crumpled as he shrunk from her, clawed toes scrapping across the floor. With one fluid motion a clawed hand slid across the bench and he flipped his entire form over it, using it as a barrier between her and himself. She could hear him shifting, looking for an escape route. She was in the doorway, so he probably discounted that one. The open vent he'd obviously entered from was in the ceiling, using it would leave him fully exposed.

"It's okay..." She took a step into the room, her hands held out in front of her like she was attempting to soothe a timid animal. In actuality, that didn't appear to be far from the truth. "You gotta know I won't hurt you..." She'd have been hard pressed to do him any harm when he was human.

She froze when two sets of clawed fingers tentatively felt their way along the edge of the kitchen island he'd taken refuge behind. The unruly mass of darkness that she assumed was his hair...a part of her was intrigued that he still _HAD_ the hair...slowly appeared as he rose his head enough to meet her gaze. His eyes had retained the same shape, though they were now pure gold instead of deep violet, and slightly luminescent as they reflected the light spilling in from the doorway. He held her gaze with a mixture of fear and sadness. She hated to see that look in his eyes. Her own expression shifted to match his. This seemed to have some kind of an effect on him as he tilted his head slightly, blinking a few times as a mixture of confusion and concern flashed across his eyes. The look was just so Keith she couldn't help but smile.

"Keith..." She took a step towards him, freezing, the smile slipping, when she heard his feet find purchase. "Please..." She implored. "I know you're in there, even though it's kind of an unpopular opinion at the moment." He blinked again, watching as she held out a hand towards him. "Let's go prove me right."

Tentatively, clawed fingers rose from the metallic surface, reaching outwards. Pidge allowed herself a small smile of triumph...

Then the lights came on.

Keith recoiled, retreating behind his barrier with an angry hiss. An anger that was mirrored on Pidge's face as she turned on Lance, framed in the doorway, one hand on the illumination panel, the other brandishing his activated bayard.

"What the holy quiznak!" She growled at him. "I just about-"

"Are you crazy?!" Lance cut her off, keeping his eyes and weapon trained on where Keith had disappeared behind the counter. "Going after him alone? Unarmed?"

"He's not the enemy." She pointed out. "He's our teammate...our friend!"

"Friend or not, he's dangerous." Lance shook his head.

"We don't know that." She countered.

"And we don't know that he isn't." Lance shot back. He sighed. "Pidge, I don't like this..." He hefted his gun. "...anymore than you do. And I really hope we can reach him. But we don't know what those damn micro-bots did to him. For safety's sake, his as well as ours, we've got to..."

Pidge nodded sadly as he trailed off. Lance gestured for her to move to the far end of the island while he circled towards the end closer to the door to cut off his escape with the rifle. He slid the energy level down to its lowest setting, basically making it a very large taser.

But Keith had a plan of his own.

As they moved to either end of the counter, he flipped up onto it, launching himself up at the open vent in the ceiling.

"Crap!" Lance dropped his bayard and lunged at him, grappling for his waist, his knees, his ankles, anything to drag him back out. But Keith was too fast. He'd already hauled himself up. The only thing left for Lance to get ahold of was the tail. Lance managed to grab it just above the tufted end. There was a loud, echoing bang and a muted growl as Keith was slammed to the bottom of the air duct by the sudden added increase of the blue paladin's weight.

"Pidge?" Lance whimpered as he clung on desperately to the sinewy appendage. "A little help?"

There were more dull, metallic echoes from inside the venting as Keith wedged himself into place. Lance shrieked as he found himself being lifted up off the floor as their teammate began to crawl slowly forward.

"Now!" He began kicking air, trying to destabilise him. Pidge moved forward to help but fortunately hadn't reached him when Keith began to flick the tail in increasingly wild and savage lashes, tearing it from Lance's grasp and sending him tumbling to the floor.

 

~~~~~~

 

Lance was still rubbing his backside and grumbling as Coran brought up the display of Kolivan's impassive face. The leader of the Blade of Mamora listened to Allura's emotional retelling of the reason for their contacting him with barely a raised brow.

When she had finished he turned his attention to Slav, hiding behind one of the paladin stations.

"Sometimes you're too inventive for your own good." He rumbled. "Where is the boy now?"

"Hiding in the ventilation system." Allura sighed.

"Why?" Kolivan frowned.

"We were hoping you could tell us." She looked at him hopefully.

"I barely know the boy." He snorted. "But he doesn't strike me as the kind to run from anything."

"Yeah...usually he's not..." Hunk admitted, rubbing the back of his neck. "But he's not really himself right now..."

"He's kinda crazy." Lance chimed in. "He just snarls and hisses and growls."

"Only at you." Pidge mumbled.

"We thought maybe you could tell us what's going on inside his head..." Lance continued. "You both being Galra and all..."

"He's become animalistic and you think it's because he's become Galra." Kolivan surmised his tone flat, his expression clearly unimpressed.

"Kinda...?" Lance admitted sheepishly.

"We are a warrior race." Kolivan intoned. "Aggressive, perhaps, but we are _NOT_ uncivilised. If his mind is gone it's because of what has been done to him, not because of what he's become."

"That's what I said!" Hunk pointed out.

"How have you approached him?" Lance and Hunk exchanged a guilty glance. It was all Kolivan needed to know. He was fully aware of how most viewed his kind. "With weapons drawn." He sighed angrily. "If you greet him with violence he will meet you with violence."

"To be fair, we haven't actually shot at him or anything." Lance clarified. "So we haven't actually been violent towards him."

"You tried to drag him out of a ventilation vent be swinging on his tail." Pidge reminded him.

"He has a tail?" Kolivan blinked, clearly surprised. It was the first real show of emotion he'd expressed since their exchange had began.

"Uh...yeah...?" Hunk confirmed, a little freaked by the Galra's reaction to the news.

"Lots of Galra have tails, right?" Lance shrugged.

"No. They're extremely rare." Kolivan shook his head. "He must come from an ancient bloodline."

"Ancient?" Hunk echoed. "You mean, like royalty?"

"Essentially." Kolivan nodded curtly.

"Keith's a...prince...?" Lance boggled.

"The Empire only recognises one prince." Kolivan snorted. "And the Little Blade is _NOTHING_ like him." His tone of voice indicated complete and utter contempt for the royal in question.

"So what would you recommend we do with our Little Blade?" Allura asked, smiling ever so slightly. Kolivan arced a brow at her use of his term for Keith. She had caught the hint of affection in his tone when he'd said it.

"He is strong and stubborn. And he doesn't give up." There was a hint of a smile on the Galra's face. "I have no doubt he'll find his way back to you. Given time."

"Time is not really a luxury we can afford." Allura said softly.

"Yeah." Lance agreed. "Any way we can speed things up?"

"We just have to talk to him, calmly, non-threateningly." Pidge said. "I'd just about talked him around last night in the kitchen when you came in guns blazing and freaked him out." She gestured wildly with her hands.

"My gun was not blazing!" Lance protested.

"But you still freaked him out."

"If you did it once, maybe you can do it again." Hunk said hopefully.

"I doubt it." Pidge shook her head sadly. "He probably thinks I was setting him up or something. It's gonna take a while for him to trust me again."

"It might be best if you let him approach you." Kolivan suggested.

"Maybe we can coax him out." Lance said with sudden inspiration. "Fill those newly overdeveloped senses of his with everything comforting and Keithy. You could cook his favourite food." He grinned at Hunk.

"Yeah." Hunk grinned back. "Sure." His grin faltered. "Um...any idea what that is?"

"How about music?" He suggested, looking to Pidge this time. She just shrugged. "Sounds of nature?"

"I thought he was your friend." Kolivan frowned. "You don't know him any better than I do."

"We could check his room?" Pidge suggested.

"To the dormitories!" Lance declared, pointing dramatically towards the paladins quarters.

 

~~~~~~

 

The door to Keith's personal quarters hissed open allowing entry to the paladins and the princess. It was bare, almost empty. No attempt had been made to personalise the space at all. Pidge had her laptop and various other pieces of technology she'd picked up during their adventures. Hunk had bits and pieces of machinery he liked to tinker with. Lance's looked like a beauty spa had exploded within its confines, his makeshift personal skin-care products were littered everywhere. But Keith's? It was the definition of spartan.

Allura opened the small storage compartment built into the wall. All it contained was the clothes he'd been wearing when he'd left Earth. She pulled his red jacket from where it was hanging neatly, gently feeling the fabric as she stared at it. She was barely aware of Lance looking over her shoulder.

"Hey!" His hand lunged past her as he grabbed the neatly folded belt. "I've been dying to know what he keeps in these pouches."

Hunk held back, watching as Lance emptied the contents of one pouch onto the neatly made bed. He knew it was for the best, they were just trying to find some clue on how to get Keith back to a more stable state of mind, but it still felt like an invasion of his privacy.

"What have we got here?" Lance mused as he started shifting through the tiny pile of belongings. "A compass? Seriously? Hasn't he heard of GPS? First aid kit. Sewing kit. Guy's a regular Boy Scout."

"He did like to wander about in the desert." Hunk pointed out as he approached.

"All the more reason to have a GPS." Lance said as he tipped out the second pouch. "Or at least a phone..." A silver and black rectangle bounced onto the bed. "Bingo!" He picked it up, brandishing it.

"Pretty sure that's an MP3 player." Hunk said as he hooked a set of ear-buds with his finger.

"Typical, anti-social behaviour." Lance muttered. "Either way it should give us some insight on his inner workings." He began poking at it but it had obviously long lost its charge. "Hey, Pidge." He turned to seek the youngest paladin. "Think you could..." She was nowhere in sight. "Pidge?"

"In here." She called from the small washroom.

"What exactly do you expect to find in there?" Lance questioned, a little squirked.

"This." Pidge held up a hair brush, grinning madly.

"You mean he actually brushes that mess?" Lance arced a brow.

"There is hair in this." She pointed to the dark strands entangled in the bristles. " _KEITH'S_ hair."

"And this is a good thing because...?" Lance prompted.

"It's his original DNA." Hunk breathed.

"Is there enough?" Allura stepped forward, reaching for the grooming device.

"I don't know." Pidge admitted. "I'll have to talk to Slav." Something she obviously didn't relish.

Lance blinked as he began to process what they were saying. He wasn't stupid by any standard, he just sometimes felt that way when he was surrounded by geniuses.

"So...that..." He pointed to the brush. "That can change him back?"

"I'm not sure." Pidge shrugged. "Maybe."

"Slav said it couldn't be reversed." Lance frowned.

"He said the process couldn't be reversed once started." Hunk clarified. "He didn't say it couldn't be over-written once completed."

"Do we really want to put him through that again?" Lance asked quietly. They all turned to look at him. "I know I was the loudest about doing it in the first place, but wasn't it the pain of his transformation that sent him all loopy?"

The others exchanged a glance. He did have a point.

"It might help him to heal if he knows he has the option." Allura said as she hung his jacket back up. Hunk scooped up the various bits and pieces on the bunk and put them back in the belt pouches, barring the device Lance still had and its headphones. As he folded it up for storage he noticed something.

"Where's his knife?" He asked.

 

~~~~~~

 

Chulatt stood guard as Chuchule and Plachu hauled themselves up under Black's control panel. It took some effort but finally they dislodged it. Chulatt jumped as the blade clattered to the deck, then scampered over to admire the sparkly gem in its hilt. The other mice jumped down and began arguing, debating about just how they were going to manage this. Neither, it seemed, was keen to lift it by the pointy end. Finally, with narrowed red eyes, Plachu hefted the blade itself leaving Chuchule to grab the hilt. Chulatt perched happily on top until the other two titled it, sending their companion tumbling to the floor. Plachu pointed angrily to the middle of the weapon. With a sigh, Chulatt scrambled underneath to assist with the burden.

After what seemed like hours of scuttling through the vents they arrived at their destination, grateful when a large, clawed hand relived them of the weight. Just having the heirloom back in his possession seemed to lift the quiet one's spirits, if only minimally.

Only they knew where his nest was, high in the spire above Red's docking bay. He had chosen well. There was no security up here, and it was quite an effort to reach him. They didn't agree with him and his need to cloister himself away from the others, they were all so worried about him. They had seen the little one working her technical magic to find him. The big, friendly one had conjured up many delights, some of which they had brought to him which he had then shared with them. The funny one tried to keep the mood light but they knew that was his way of covering his own feelings. He was much like the advisor in that way, though he'd kept himself busy researching ways to help the quiet one, both through reading and conversation with the stern-faced one. Platt was shadowing him, learning as he did.

And they had seen their princess cry.

Her heart was large, she cared for them all, but the quiet one's pain had become her pain. Her tears for him had become tears for herself as well. They knew, even though she didn't know herself, that the quiet one had come to mean more to her than the others. When they had lost the sad one the quiet one had almost broken and her heart had ached for him. And now it ached even more.

Yes, they didn't agree with him isolating himself...he needed them, they needed him....but they would not push him. They would comfort him, tend to him. To that end, Chulatt scampered up his arm and snuggled into his hair. Chuchule offered him one of the big one's delicacies. Plachu allowed him a scratch behind the ears.

They would not push him. But that did not mean they couldn't push the others.

 


	4. Through Different Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With a little help from her smallest friends the Castle’s resident beauty comes face to face with its elusive beast...

Several cycles passed and no one had seen hide nor purple hair of Keith.

Pidge had managed to recharge the small device they’d found in his belt pouch. There had been some music on it, apparently quite old fashioned for someone of Keith’s age. Performers named after insects and rocks somehow in motion. Hunk had called it classic, Lance had dubbed it ‘dinosaur music’. Pidge had explained that a dinosaur was a large reptilian creature that had roamed their planet many millions of decafebs ago. It was now softly playing over the Castle’s broadcasting system but it had failed to draw out anything beyond complaints from Lance.

There were quite a few electronic books on various subjects, cooking, desert survival and something called spelunking. Most, however, were works of fiction.

The majority of its rather small storage contained photographs. There were quite a few of the cave markings pertaining to the blue lion and the area around it. Many had nothing to do with the lion, though. They were just shots of the desert. Things that had caught his eye for some reason. Interesting rock formations, a bright pink flowering cactus, a small lizard licking its eye, a majestic bird circling in a sky of pure azure. Allura’s favourite was of a sunset. The way the colours shifted from golds to reds to purples. It was beautiful. But it didn’t help to lure Keith from wherever he was hiding.

With little else to do Allura wandered the halls. Her feet seemed to echo with every step she took. She hadn’t realised before just how empty the Castle really was. Eventually she found herself at the galley. After having nearly been caught there he seemed to be avoiding it entirely. Did that mean he wasn’t eating? Given his increase in body mass he should be eating more not less.

Hunk had gone through the digital cook books, but they didn’t contain anything of any real interest. Just simple food, easily prepared. He had done his best to make some of the more aromatic offerings, one called chilli con carne had been particularly potent, but there had been no response.

She sighed.

None of their efforts had worked. Maybe the mice…

Her eyes widened.

The mice!

It suddenly occurred to her. She hadn’t seen them in the past few cycles either. She couldn’t sense them anywhere nearby.

Keith wasn’t eating. The mice were nowhere to be found.

“Surely he wouldn’t…?” She whispered.

Lance and Hunk often spoken of how his more animalistic side had taken hold of him, of how dangerous he’d become and how he should be hunted down and captured so they could help him regain his lost humanity. Pidge argued that he hadn’t lost anything and he had isolated himself while he adapted to the changes in his body and would return to them when he figured things out for himself. Allura had always sided with Pidge in this argument.

But what if the boys were right?

 

~~~~~~

 

Coran looked up as Allura swept into the infirmary, concern quickly masking his features when he saw her expression.

“Princess.” Slav broken in before either could speak. “We are making great progress in our efforts to restore the red…” he paused “…black…” he frowned “…the effected paladin.” He flailed towards the other end of his work space, oblivious to Allura’s obvious distress. “The hair follicles the green paladin located were not nearly enough to program the nanites so we have been growing additional DNA in order to do so.”

Coran walked up to Allura as Slav continued to ramble about the marvels he was creating.

“What is it, Princess?” He asked.

“Have you seen the mice recently?” She responded. “I can’t find them anywhere.”

Coran stroked his moustache thoughtfully.

“Platt’s been in here quite a bit actually.” He told her. “He’s appears to be quite interested in what we’re doing. I haven’t seen the others though.”

“Thank you, Coran.” She sighed slightly. One out of four was something, right? “Please let me know if you see any of the others.”

“Of course, Princess.” He smiled, returning to his work as Allura returned to her aimless wandering, eventually returning to the galley when she realised Keith wasn’t the only one who hadn’t been eating.

As she entered Platt looked up from where he was filling his mouth with long strips of some sort of dried meat Hunk had made, jerky he’d called it. He froze as he saw her, caught in the act of stealing food. It was far too much for him, far too much for all of the mice combined, actually. And the mouse didn’t appear to be eating it, just holding it in his jaws. It hung out on either side of his pointed face, looking like thick, dark whiskers.

Then he bolted. Leaping off the counter, scrambling out the door, the jerky flapping as he ran like ineffective wings.

“Platt! Come back here!” Allura snapped as she gave chase.

The largest of her mouse friends was surprisingly swift, even burdened as he was by his overly large snack. On more than one occasion she thought she’d lost him as he led her on a merry chase through the castle. But then she’d catch a glimpse or hear him scrambling up or over something.

Finally he stopped to catch his breath, right at the feet of the red lion. Allura knew where she was as she slowed at the hanger’s open doors. Platt let out a squeak as she entered before scrambling up towards the catwalks above the currently pilotless craft. Allura afforded Red a brief, slightly saddened glance, but the lion remained as motionless and mysterious as a sphinx.

With a grumble she turned her gaze upwards. Cursing under her breath that she had chosen to wear her gown and not her battle suit, she hoisted up here skirts and began to climb in pursuit of her errant animal companion. She wasn’t sure why she was continuing the chase, but something nagging at the back of her mind kept telling her to go on. Or maybe it was in her heart?

As she reached the very highest of the catwalks she found what could only be described as a nest. Blankets, pillows, various containers of food and drink, several pieces of electronics she hadn’t even realised were missing. Nothing overly large. Nothing that the mice couldn't have dragged up here.

Platt was sitting on his haunches in the middle of the space, all but grinning around his mouthful of jerky. Chulatt crawled out from underneath one of the pillows. Chuchule appeared from nowhere and grabbed one end of a piece of dried meat, working to pull it from Platt’s mouth which quickly dissolved into a tug of war between the pair.

No wonder they hadn’t seen Keith. The mice were looking after him. Bringing him everything he needed. They must love him t-

She covered her mouth with her hand as if to stifle the thought she hadn’t actually spoken.

But the shock on her face drained, the hand falling to rest over her heart. That was it, wasn’t it? That was why she had chased after Platt on a fool’s errand. Risked breaking her neck climbing a tower in a floor length gown. Love made you do foolish things.

She sank to the floor, thoughts rushing about her head. It made so much sense, it explained so much. Though she hadn’t really noticed it, she had been drawn to him from the start. She had seen so much of herself in him. He exuded an air of confidence, like she did, but she could tell, underneath it, he was full of doubt, fear of failing. Not himself, but those that depended on him. Just as she did. It was why he had run, why he chose to hide from them rather than turn to them for help. Even though it has been out of his control, he saw his metamorphoses as a failure.

And it was why she had reacted the way she had when she’d initially learned of his heritage. She had felt betrayed on a deep and personal level. It had been a blow to her heart. She had seen firsthand what falling for the enemy could do, how it could tear lives and families apart. But Keith wasn't the enemy. He had no control over his parentage. He hadn't hidden anything from her. He hadn’t known who he was anymore than she had. It took her a while to realise it, and when she did, she has apologised, an apology he had accepted.

She came out of her epiphany to find the trio of mice, there was still no sign of Plachu, watching her curiously. Little Chulatt cast her eyes upwards briefly. She touched her fingers to her lips again as she realised what they were trying to tell her, why they had led her here.

“Keith?” She called softly. She hadn’t been able to find him anywhere else in the Castle. He couldn’t have climbed down while she’d be climbing up without her noticing him. He had to be here.

She cast her gaze about the small space, even upwards as Chulatt had. How could someone the size he must be now hide so easily?

“Keith.” She repeated. “I know I reacted…poorly…to the initial revelation of your ancestry. But I meant what I said.” She continued to look about. “It’s not what’s in your blood…or what you look like…”

She didn’t get to finish as she was interrupted by a muffled yelp from beneath a pile of blankets. Plachu came bounding into view, fleeing a clawed purple hand. Allura all but pounced on it, grabbing it with both of hers. She could feel the muscles tense as he tried to pull away. He was strong, probably stronger than before, but so was she. She wasn’t about to let go.

She began to pull along the exposed limb, hand over hand, like climbing a rope. As she released the hand she noticed the fingers curl inwards towards the palm to protect her from the wickedly sharp claws. As she reached his shoulder she began to feel him really resist. But he wasn’t the only stubborn one here. She tugged at the blankets, not so much as to leave him completely exposed, but enough to reveal his head, even though he quickly turned away, his eyes closed.

The hair was the same, maybe a little scruffier if that was possible, and it had taken on a distinctive purple sheen. The ears, mostly hidden in his hair but not blending into it as most Galras’ did, remained mostly human but for a sharp point, reminiscent of the late Ulaz.

He was no longer resisting her, his arm had fallen limply to rest against her leg. She reached out a trembling hand to cup his chin, to turn his face towards her. From what she could tell, despite his skin tone now being cast in a soft lilac, it remained unchanged. The nose still possessed its slightly upturned tip, though there was a splattering of deeper purple flecks across the bridge that she was pretty certain hadn’t been there before. A slightly darker pigmentation began at the corners of his eyes to run along the sides of his nose before curling out over his cheeks.

“Look at me.” She whispered, more a request than a command.

Slowly his eyelids drifted open and he raised his gaze to hers. He flinched slightly when he found just how close her face was to his. Scant centimetres separated them.

The space was dim, but not dark. There was no bright light source to reflect and cause the eerie glow. Allura could still see his dark irises, veiled behind a curtain of gold. They weren’t the solid colour usually seen in the Galra. It would seem the nanites hadn’t completely burned away his humanity after all. He was still a hybrid, the Galra genes had just been made prominent.

A smile blossomed on her perfect lips, not of sympathy, but of true affection.

She saw, felt, his body sag as relief flooded him. He must have been so afraid of rejection, from his friends, but mostly from her. If she could accept him like this, she who had all but rejected him before, then the other surely would be okay with his new self.

She pulled him into a hug, a real hug, wrapping her arms around him as he nestled against her, burrowing into her shoulder.

“It’s going to be alright.” She assured him as she stroked his hair.

 

~~~~~~

 

She wasn’t sure how long she held him. She couldn't recall when he’d shifted to lie down, his head resting in her lap. At some point he’d fallen asleep, the first true sleep he’d had since this whole ordeal had started she imagined. Through it all she kept stroking his hair. She wasn’t sure who it calmed more.

His feet, she noted, still possessed the usual human number of ten toes, not the four that were more common amongst the Galra. His tail flicked lazily, contentedly, Plachu’s red eyes shifting back and forth, locked on the swaying, tufted tip. Of all the changes, it was the tail that was the most noticeable. Kolivan said it tied Keith to an ancient Galra bloodline, one that was essentially royalty. Zarkon, it seemed, was an usurper with no real claim to the throne, if the Galra even had one. But, she still called herself princess, yet she had no throne, no planet, no people to reign over. After ten thousand years, perhaps it was simply an out-dated concept. Maybe the universe didn't need princes and princesses anymore. Maybe all it needed was people willing to do the right thing.

Suddenly Keith stirred, sitting bolt upright, sending the mice scurrying for cover. He began to look around, eyes darting. He sniffed the air, his ears twitching.

“What is it?” She frowned.

He didn’t answer. Instead he scrabbled towards the edge of his nest, sending blankets and pillows flying as he hurled himself over the edge.

“Quiznak.” She grumbled as she disentangled herself from the pillows, blankets and her own skirts, to follow. He wasn’t using the footholds she’d used in her ascending. He was leaping from one level to the next, landing quietly on the balls of his feet each time. He’d reached the hanger floor and was streaking out the doors before she’d even made it down one level.

“What was it Lance said?” She muttered. “Something about putting a bell on him?”

Then the alarms went off.

 

~~~~~~

 

“Talk to me.” She barked as she made her way to the bridge, all business, thoughts of recently transformed Galra boys pushed to the back of her mind.

“Three Galra cruisers.” Allura’s earrings flashed as Pidge’s voice answered. “They popped up out of nowhere.”

“It’s nothing we can’t handle.” Lance broke in. “Let’s get to the lions, guys.”

“Oh, so you’re in charge now?” Pidge snorted.

Allura frowned. There was no way that was what had set Keith off. There had to be something else. “Alright.” She consented. “But be careful. Something about this feels…odd…”

“Yeah.” Hunk agreed. “And we really can’t afford to loose any more paladins.”

“Coran?” She turned her attention to her advisor, and, essentially, the Castle’s second-in-command. “Run a scan of the ship…I think we might-“

She was yanked back by the hair, slamming against something only slightly less yielding than the wall.

“Hello, Princess.” A velvety voice purred in her ear.

She knew that voice.

Her first reaction to it was to toss her head back. She smiled as the back of her skull connected solidly with the speaker’s face. She broke free as the strong arms that had been wrapped around her instinctively recoiled to seek any damage she might have caused.

She spun away, dropping into a fighting stance as she turned to face her attacker, cursing again her choice of attire for the day. Her would-be assailant’s face was obscured by gloved hands as he massaged his nose.

“Still as feisty as ever, I see.” He commented as he casually wiped the blood away from a nostril.

He was small for a Galra, and quite possibly the most attractive of the race . Or the second most attractive, she thought. His pretty face was framed with long silvery hair, quite incongruous for a species that were predominately coloured in various shades of purple. His eyes, she noticed, were a lot like Keith’s. Indigo irises in a sea of gold.

“Lotor.” She sneered.


End file.
